Luigi Pasquale from Pietracatella lived in Philadelphia

[RDOnofrio]

I know my great great grandfather Luigi was born in Pietracatella in 1853. He came to America in 1899 and settled in Philadelphia in 1903 when he sent for his wife Concetta and their children Antonella, Giuseppe, Dominico and Guglielmo. They live on Dickinson Street in Philadelphia. He died in February of 1922. Spelling may not be right of names.
I want to find out Concetta's family name before she was married and her town.
Want to trace back and not sure of what step to take next.
Help please.

[PeterTimber]

Go to http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/pearlsofwi ... tters.html and request the ESTRATTO DI MATRIMONIO (marriage certificate extract =long form) for Luigi Pasquale 1853 and his wife Concetta (LNU=last name unknown) Their marriage normally should have occurred around1875-1880. Since you want to go back to Pietracalla anyway may as well start there. =Peter=

[JohnArmellino]

Since you already know that your 2GGF was born in Pietracatella, I would suggest that you start with the Family History Library (FHL) films that can be rented and viewed at the Family History Centers (FHC) operated by the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Births, deaths, miscellaneous documents, marriages, banns, marriage documents, and citizenship records, 1809-1900, from the civil registration of Pietracatella have been filmed by the LDS. Go to their website at www.familysearch.org (Library>LibraryCatalog>PlaceSearch) to see the film details. You can also find the nearest FHC at that website. The records are, of course, in Italian. There are two great books that help in understanding these records: Genealogist's Guide To Discovering Your Italian Ancestors by Lynn Nelson and Italian Genealogical Records by Trafford Cole. With a little luck, you'll find your 2GGP's marriage record in Pietracatella. If not, you should still be able to find the marriage banns in Pietracatella. In either case, you will learn your 2GGM's birth name and town of origin. Since the records go back to 1809, you should be able to find many other records. Good Luck!

PS: I have several Pasquale families in my Campobasso database that originally came from Pietracatella. One branch married into my Palladino line and, therefore, I have Pasquale cousins (actually 6Cs) born in the early 1900s. I look forward to seeing how your research progresses.